| Axinidris tridens | |
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| Species: | A. tridens |
| Binomial name | |
| Axinidris tridens (Arnold, 1946) | |
Axinidris tridens is a species of ant in the genus Axinidris . Described by Arnold in 1946, the species is endemic to Malawi, where they were collected from partially decaying trees. [1]
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the Cretaceous period, about 140 million years ago, and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than 12,500 of an estimated total of 22,000 species have been classified. They are easily identified by their elbowed antennae and the distinctive node-like structure that forms their slender waists.
Axinidris is a genus of arboreal ants in the subfamily Dolichoderinae. The genus is known from forested areas the Afrotropics, where they nest in hollow stems or rotten wood. They forage mainly in trees, but occasionally on the ground.
Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. Malawi is over 118,000 km2 (45,560 sq mi) with an estimated population of 18,091,575. Lake Malawi takes up about a third of Malawi's area. Its capital is Lilongwe, which is also Malawi's largest city; the second largest is Blantyre, the third is Mzuzu and the fourth largest is its old capital Zomba. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area. The country is also nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa" because of the friendliness of the people.
